Perry Endorses Cruz

As Iowa approaches, followed shortly by the rest of the primary elections, endorsements are starting to gain major importance. There was a lot of hype last week about who Sarah Palin would choose, and a double digit poll followed her endorsement for Donald Trump. Senator Ted Cruz, who is in second place and banking on Iowa for his presidential run, is also seeking endorsements. The popular radio host Rush Limbaugh endorsed him, along with a Duck Dynasty brother. But today, he got a very important endorsement, and that is from Governor Rick Perry.

As Cruz is a senator from Texas, this endorsement may seem expected. But as there are many Texans who support Donald Trump, this endorsement is key for Cruz in his own state. Texas holds the second most amount of electoral college votes, which is obviously very important in the overall election. Perry, who ran for president very briefly and then dropped out after the first debate, is still very much a public political figure.

Endorsements are important because for the person who openly comes out in favor of one candidate, it is expected that the loyal supporters of that person will do the same. For this reason, candidates seek out figures who have a large following (think celebrities) in their desire to win any voter who might be on the edge, or not sure who they really want to win. Last week was not a good one for Cruz, and as this week starts, he can at least count on the support of his own Lone Star State. While this may not be enough to have influence in Iowa, it will at least have influence in the media, and for the overall image of his campaign. We can expect that as the race heats up, more people will have had enough time to watch debates and media appearances to finally decide which candidate they support, and therefore openly endorse candidates for this primary season.